website thubmnail of Bright Cellars

Bright CellarsReviews 128

2.6

On Sitejabber, businesses may not offer incentives or pay to remove reviews. Learn more about our Review Guidelines.

How would you rate Bright Cellars?
grey star
grey star
grey star
grey star
grey star

Bright Cellars Reviews Summary

Bright Cellars has a rating of 2.6 stars from 128 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Bright Cellars most frequently mention customer service, credit card and multiple times. Bright Cellars ranks 6th among Wine sites.

service
27
value
27
shipping
27
returns
15
quality
24

We monitor reviews for authenticity

Rhode Island
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow J D.
Unfollow J D.
Share Review
Report Review

This company recently transitioned to a new service called winc. Stay away from them! The transition has been nothing but a headache, with charges I didn't authorize, sold out wines that weren't sold out on their website, the inability to transfer my hard earned membership rewards, and then shipping to my state (to the wrong address!) and then informing me they are not able to ship to my state. Total headache, no wine. I am a food and beverage service veteran (25 plus years in the industry) and loved Bright Cellars former personalized selection based on my flavor profile preferences. I had a subscription with them for three years. They changed ownership once during that time and the quality was lowered, so I made my subscription less frequent. This shift in ownership has completely ruined this brand!

Date of experience: November 23, 2024
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Kate L.
Unfollow Kate L.
Share Review
Report Review

I have been a Bright Cellars customer since 2017. They have great wines. I have enjoyed their reds more as they are bold and flavorful. I enjoy their chardonnay (my favorite for whites), but I don't love it when they send sweeter whites. I've often reached out and switched my box to reds only, which they are always happy to do. I've been able to turn the service on or off over the years, depending on what I prefer. It's easy to add a box or request a different delivery date. Overall, I'm a very satisfied customer!

Date of experience: June 19, 2024
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Laurie P.
Unfollow Laurie P.
Share Review
Report Review

Great wines, Great service
June 12, 2024

I have subscribed to Bright Cellars for years, and I love the wines they send. They are very responsive and polite when I have contacted them. You receive an email several days before shipment showing the wines they plan to send, and if you want to replace anything, you can just reply to the email. They also have special bundles throughout the year you can purchase separately.

Date of experience: June 11, 2024
Connecticut
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Joseph C.
Unfollow Joseph C.
Share Review
Report Review

OUTSTANDING!
June 1, 2024

There are so very few companies that go to the lengths that Bright Cellars does to ensure that each customer receives the absolute maximum service possible. Kudos to all!

Date of experience: May 31, 2024
Alabama
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Patrick H.
Unfollow Patrick H.
Share Review
Report Review

Great experience
May 26, 2024

I was worried I couldn't get wine delivered to my state, but it turned out I could. I got a nice discount and Hannelore helped me cancel my subscription, as I just wanted to try one box. I'm excited to try the wine soon!

Date of experience: May 25, 2024
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Don M.
Unfollow Don M.
Share Review
Report Review

Excellent Service
May 28, 2024

Bright Cellars sells quality wine at reasonable prices. They send a different variety every month and if you like white wines over red or the other way around you can select the order that way.

Date of experience: May 25, 2024
Florida
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
Follow Gale D.
Unfollow Gale D.
Share Review
Report Review

I was always happy with the service and the wine---I have to cancel due to medications I am now taking but I thank all I have encountered for the cheerful, prompt service...and the great wine!

Date of experience: May 20, 2024
Illinois
3 reviews
12 helpful votes
Follow Judith S.
Unfollow Judith S.
Share Review
Report Review

I only got into this as someone gave me a $150 gift card. After all sorts of run-around trying to pick wines and use the gift card, turns out that you have to give them your credit card info, even when you have money left in the gift card. I might have done it (1) I wasn't so irritated already and (2) I had my purse with me. The swapping out process is very limited, there are no prices disclosed at any point during the process.

Date of experience: February 14, 2023
Maryland
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
Follow Bill N.
Unfollow Bill N.
Share Review
Report Review

Great Concept, Good Service and Mediocre Wine
December 4, 2022

The introductory price and questionnaires set this up as a great wine subscription. You can rate your wine experiences with each bottle of wine, and that purportedly tweaks your next month subscription.

However, the full price for this subscription comes to about $20 a bottle, and these wines are absolutely not worth it.

After the initial order and two additional monthly selections - we have had a multiple good Wine Spritzer wines (wines you mix with a spritzer to make a refreshing drink), one bottle that was decent enough to drink by itself and a couple of drain-pours. I admit there are a few we haven't bothered opening.

I love the idea of trying new wines and having a wine rating system that helps select your future shipped wines. I have tried other wine subscriptions and as a Wine Subscription Service this one is great! You can manage your subscription easily, skip months, update communication preferences and payments. And the cancel subscription button is easy to find on your Account Settings Page. But I just don't like their wines.

I don't mind paying extra for the convenience of having wines delivered to my door, it would help dramatically if they occasionally tasted good.

Date of experience: December 2, 2022
Arizona
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Lynda S.
Unfollow Lynda S.
Share Review
Report Review

Do not waste your money!
October 24, 2022

Ordered 6 bottles, only 2 we're drinkable. Most was moldy, vinegar and foul. Their customer care was lovely, till I began voicing dislike. Then I never got so much as an "I'm sorry, how can we make it better?" You can't view available wines Until you order. Look up wineries and you find they all have the same website as Brite Cellars, make 2 wines, and all have the exact same contact address in Milwaukee! My conclusion is they spent all their investment capital on marketing and only had cash to buy spoiled wine by the vat, and they are decanting it in random ratios, labels and make everything up from there. "3 buck chuck" is top shelf by comparison!

Date of experience: October 24, 2022
North Carolina
1 review
3 helpful votes
Follow Vanessa H.
Unfollow Vanessa H.
Share Review
Report Review

This website is so biased because of course everyone only wants to write about a whining/negative experience. I'm so glad I didn't look here before taking the quiz and getting a wine subscription. If you aren't looking for a SUBSCRIPTION then this isn't for you. It's not a one-time purchase (unless you cancel). I look forward to it every month. I'm not a wine snob but I definitely know much more about wine than a few months ago. You can still pause your subscription, let concierge know about what you don't like and receive something else. One time, I tried a wine that tasted too full-bodied and quite bitter. I gave it a couple more sips and leaned into the experience... I ended up liking it a lot! I hope they continue to have more options for loyal customers in the future because I have recommended this to my friends that like wine.

Date of experience: May 19, 2022
Arizona
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow Chelsea M.
Unfollow Chelsea M.
Share Review
Report Review

Wine sucked. Got charged $93 for 4 bottles. Horrible price. Just over 24 hours of being charged they refused to refund me. They said I could refuse the package but they would charge me $35. They 100% have time to cancel the package.

Date of experience: February 13, 2022
Kentucky
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Erin C.
Unfollow Erin C.
Share Review
Report Review

Horrible customer service
November 30, 2021

I have tried multiple times to cancel my membership. I have called them, texted them, emailed them and when I called. They assured me that they would cancel my membership but I was charged for the following month but didn't receive any wine. I even had the confirmation email to confirm that I canceled. So i took an old rewards debit card and put that as my payment information. So that I won't have to worry about them stealing my money.

Date of experience: November 30, 2021
California
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow Jacob E.
Unfollow Jacob E.
Share Review
Report Review

So I ordered from this company back when I lived in New York. I mean how can you say no to dipping your toes into the wine business for such a low price?
We got a box of about 6 bottles of wine, they were ok I guess. One tasted like foot so nah no thanks. My wife liked two of them and the rest were not great. I called to cancel, had an easy time doing it. Maybe they've got worse over the years? But I don't remember having a hard time at all. They quit messaging me to so…I think the other people writing reviews are just $#*!ed

Date of experience: October 21, 2021
Colorado
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Peter W.
Unfollow Peter W.
Share Review
Report Review

This is a scam... seriously
September 20, 2021

Bright Cellars borders on consumer fraud. Seriously. They are walking a very thin line.

Here is the truth. They purchase cheap bulk wine from around the world and bottle it under their many labels. All of their wines (yes, all of their wines) are their wines. None of these wines are from independent "great find" wineries. As an avid wine collector I tried their subscription service and found their wines to be on par with $6 to $7 dollar bottles of wine. And it's not a surprise, simply look at their employee list on their website. No one is a wine expert, just a bunch of software engineers and wine "concierge" (sales people). https://www.brightcellars.com/about-us/our-team/

These guys are taking advantage of people who want to learn about wines but don't know where to start. Best thing to do is find the local wine merchant in your town. I guarantee their wine guy or gal will know 10x's what Bright Cellars knows and will introduce you to amazing wines.

Simply put, buyer beware.

Date of experience: September 20, 2021
Georgia
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Cynthia Y.
Unfollow Cynthia Y.
Share Review
Report Review

The first 6 bottles I received were all dry wines that I could not drink. I let them know and asked for them to cancel my subscription. Then a couple of weeks later I received another shipment. I will dispute the charges on my credit card but it is still a rip off.

Date of experience: August 15, 2021
Texas
1 review
5 helpful votes
Follow Austin C.
Unfollow Austin C.
Share Review
Report Review

Bright Cellars is really only worth it with a hefty discount, but even then it's probably still a waste of energy. The unsubscription process is complicated and unnecessarily difficult, which feels so gross and exploitative. As well, the line you need to call to cancel has been unstaffed multiple times that I tried to call. With so many other wine subscription services, honestly this is just bait. Don't take it.

Date of experience: July 6, 2021
Texas
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow David E.
Unfollow David E.
Share Review
Report Review

The spam is relentless. I signed up and received multiple marketing texts and emails almost immediately.

Wine is decent but overpriced. Figured part of the benefit was trying new things and seeing what works, but the headache of the constant bombardment to "buy more!" was too much. The cheese prices they charge is absurd, I didn't buy any because several of the brands they were pushing I could buy for much less at my local Kroger.

Took two weeks to cancel my account. And I'm still receiving spam.

Tip for those interested: if you use Gmail, you can add + after your username in signups to create a filterable address!

Date of experience: June 23, 2021
Louisiana
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Darla E.
Unfollow Darla E.
Share Review
Report Review

Impressive
June 9, 2021

Life in the woods Rose', surprised me. I've not liked a lot of rose', but this one gave my wine tasting life. Lite, easily distinguished not notes of the fruit. Balanced is the word to describe this wine.

Date of experience: June 9, 2021
Wisconsin
1 review
6 helpful votes
Follow Merlot K.
Unfollow Merlot K.
Share Review
Report Review

Do not under any circumstances give these people your real credit card number. There are no alternatives for payment so I used privacy.com instead. I have attempted to cancel for months now and they keep trying to charge me for wine I don't want. Thankfully they cannot charge the account otherwise i would have to have blocked them with my credit card company. The wine was overall incredibly sour, bitter, and weirdly tasteless. I get less expensive and better tasting product from my local Aldi

Date of experience: May 21, 2021